Kuen Baan Mai

A Buddhist House Blessing on the Island of Koh Pu

For the few people that venture off the beaten track, Koh Jum, known locally as Koh Pu, has become the island paradise many dream about - an island of secluded bays, quiet beaches and longtail boats rocking gently on calm, clear waters. For Andrew Truswell it has become much more. A chance encounter while on holiday on the Island of Koh Phi Phi gave the Sydney based lawyer the opportunity of purchasing a plot of land on Luboa Bay, an impossibly idyllic location nestled among mangroves and swaying palm trees. Andrew has since developed the land and is now enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the island in a two story villa he has named, rather affectionately, after the island itself – Piman Pu, which in Thai means ‘Crab Paradise’.

Luboa Bay - Koh Jam. 

Andrew resolved from the start to build the house as environmentally friendly as possible, and in keeping with the rest of the island which as yet, has no mains power.  Piman Pu is environmentally friendly by design, having 24hr solar powered hot water and electricity. The core of the house is teak, although much of the materials were salvaged and recycled from tsunami wreckage. Another chance encounter whilst sightseeing in the town of Nakhon Si Thammarat gave the keen-eyed adventurer another opportunity, this time, of purchasing two beautiful twelve feet high monastery doors that now adorn the front of the house.

I came to meet Andrew to talk about his project the morning before the house was due to be given a traditional Buddhist blessing. Feeling proud of his newly completed island getaway, Andrew had arranged for the blessing with the help of local Thais. A new house blessing or ‘Kuen Ban Mai’ is a ceremony during which the house is expelled of all bad spirits and various rites and rituals are conducted in order to move them from the house and into the ‘spirit house’.

Luboa Bay

Andrew went to great lengths to ensure every aspect of the ceremony was in keeping with a traditional Thai Buddhist house blessing, from the positioning of the house-Buddha to the size and style of the spirit house and even the day on which the ceremony is conducted. For a house blessing an uneven number of monks should be present. Five, seven or nine are the numbers considered to be the most auspicious; five was decided upon and arrangements were made for four monks to come from the mainland in order to join the one resident monk on Koh Pu.

I arrived early the next day to see the monks arranging a Buddha shrine in the middle of the main room, while Andrew and his friends who had joined him for the occasion, positioned the spirit house outside. Before the ceremony commences a thread or ‘sai sin’ is tied to the shrine Buddha, around a central pillar of the house and is then led outside and tied to the spirit house. As the ceremony got underway the monks, having positioned themselves around the shrine while Andrew and his friends knelt in front of them, passed the sai sin through their hands and began to chant prayers in Pali, thus leading any bad spirits from the house and in to the spirit house. The monks continue to chant for up to an hour and then offerings are made to the house Buddha. Lustral water, which is prepared from ground water and represents the four elements - earth, fire, wind and water, is blessed by the monks and sprayed on various parts of the house from an alms bowl.

The monks are then offered their last meal of the day which must be eaten before 12pm, whilst the senior monk performs the last rite of anointing the front doors with a Pali blessing that will consecrate the house and conclude the ceremony.

Monks anointing the doors of Piman Pu.

After kneeling for over an hour the house guests receive a sai sin from the monks to wear on their wrists for good luck. Andrew and his friends seemed to have been fascinated and somewhat moved by the experience but clearly relieved to be able to stretch their legs

Originally published in February 2008 edition of Krabi Magazine.

More pics here

hmm

~ awesome pics , Nice sharing P' Matt

Hmm ,so Pu piman becomes Farang piman.Hmm.. no wild guesses needed for whats on the menu:-p

seems to be a nice peaceful place to stay... wish i could have one like that